Effects of emotion perception training on mood in undergraduate students: randomised controlled trial.

We investigated the effects of emotion perception training on depressive symptoms and mood in young adults reporting high levels of depressive symptoms (trial registration: ISRCTN02532638). Participants were randomised to an intervention procedure designed to increase the perception of happiness over sadness in ambiguous facial expressions or a control procedure, and completed self-report measures of depressive symptoms and mood. Those in the intervention condition had lower depressive symptoms and negative mood at 2-week follow-up, but there was no statistical evidence for a difference. There was some evidence for increased positive mood. Modification of emotional perception may lead to an increase in positive affect.

Acute alcohol impairs human goal-directed action.

There are two forms of motivated behaviour. Goal-directed action is mediated by knowledge of the consequences whereas habitual action is elicited directly by stimuli associated with the action. Alcohol may impair goal-directed control, favouring habit. To evaluate this proposal, participants were administered with 0.4 g/kg of alcohol or placebo before acquiring separate instrumental responses for chocolate and water points. Chocolate was then fed to satiety to devalue this outcome before choice between the two responses was tested in extinction. Any reduction in chocolate choice must be mediated by knowledge of the current incentive value of this outcome, i.e. must be goal-directed. Alcohol attenuated the devaluation effect on choice in extinction, but had no effect on reacquisition performance, the hedonic appraisal of rewards or acquisition of the instrumental contingencies. Acute alcohol impaired goal-directed control of action selection, favouring habit, which may mediate alcohol effects on under-controlled behaviour more broadly.